18 Volt 5-1/2" Cordless Circular Saw with Laser Guide System

Comments about Chicago Electric 18 Volt 5-1/2" Cordless Circular Saw with Laser Guide System:

I've never used these for cutting wood, only buy them to pull the motor and gearbox out for R/C and robotics applications. Thought others might like to know what's in them. First thing is a fairly robust metal cased spur gearbox assembly. All ball bearing with steel helical cut gears. The reduction is 4.7 to 1. The short output shaft is 10mm with two opposing flats. The motor is a 775 series with a ball bearing on the pinion end, 5mm shaft. The gearbox shaft runout can be anywhere from 0 to 1mm. The wiring is fairly robust and is tinned. I have seen one or two that had a motor wired pinched between two casing pieces. All in all, a fairly robust motor and gearbox for the price. I was especially surprised in the ball bearing motor which you don't typically see in this price point.

Comments about Chicago Electric 18 Volt 5-1/2" Cordless Circular Saw with Laser Guide System:

I have the Hammer drill and Driver in this series and because of my good (still good by the way) experience finally I retired my old battery saw. The main reason was I refused to pay big for a battery. I replaced all of my 7 year old tools with these pieces and three batteries for much less than the three batteries in my other set.

Good power and long life cutting strips of 3/4" MDF. Blade is good and leaves a fairly good edge. I like that the laser runs off of the main battery and not a separate AA battery, that in a few months will have leaked and corroded the electronics. Good thinking! All in all this is a good little saw, just like the other pieces in this series.

Comments about Chicago Electric 18 Volt 5-1/2" Cordless Circular Saw with Laser Guide System:

After years of using name brand tools, I decided to give this saw a try...for the money I figured I couldn't go wrong! This is a great saw, I have been using it for the past few weeks to cut 3/4" OSB for a pole barn that I have been building. I get about 40' of cut per charge, which is just fine for my purposes!

Comments about Chicago Electric 18 Volt 5-1/2" Cordless Circular Saw with Laser Guide System:

I have used this saw to cut 1/2" plywood and 1x4's. It cut through them easily and is very smooth.

Comments about Chicago Electric 18 Volt 5-1/2" Cordless Circular Saw with Laser Guide System:

I initially bought this little booger because of its price. I was pleasantly surprised! I have used a major brand before and they both compare equally in performance. I had this saw cutting through 2x10's, 2x4's, plywood and a nail with amazing ease. I don't recommend cutting the nail, it wreaks the blade.

The laser is "OK" but I found that it was too easy to turn on without knowing it. It is hard to see in direct sunlight and the chances of walking away and leaving it on are high, thus draining the battery. . .like overnight

Comments about Chicago Electric 18 Volt 5-1/2" Cordless Circular Saw with Laser Guide System:

Really people? If you're too blind to see the clearly visible "fine print" you need to get your eyes checked. The picture shows the saw with the battery faded out which signifies its is not included. I bought a cordless drill that uses the same battery and it came with a quick charger plus another battery for it at my local Harbor Freight so I don't understand where some people say they can't get a charger or battery.

Comments about Chicago Electric 18 Volt 5-1/2" Cordless Circular Saw with Laser Guide System:

I bought the 4 piece set and it functions well for wood. The blade assortment is limited to wood. No metal cutting or masonry blade found at Harbor freight or big box stores.

Comments about Chicago Electric 18 Volt 5-1/2" Cordless Circular Saw with Laser Guide System:

The default photo is misleading, and is sloppy work on the webmaster's part. The product does not come with a battery. However, the customer would not know this unless they read the fine print in the description, or clicked on the secondary photo.

As a result I question my trust in this product. What else is being hidden?

Comments about Chicago Electric 18 Volt 5-1/2" Cordless Circular Saw with Laser Guide System:

Shipped the tool and cancelled the battery charger on the same order and have been unable to get a battery charger for it since. Worked great for the time the battery charge lasted. Now it serves as a paper weight. Very disappointed.

Comments about Chicago Electric 18 Volt 5-1/2" Cordless Circular Saw with Laser Guide System:

In general I am a big booster of HFT but as for their cordless tools no way. I bought the 5 1/2" circular saw, and cordless drills with the red ni cad batteries. I've also used the previous generation of drill (which was OK at best) battery and charger combination could not be left on without overcharging and ruining the battery (and perhaps the charger) Discovered this after the fact. I note that they NOW have a disclaimer in their ads stating "One hour quick charger won't overload or overcharge battery" Too little too late for my batteries and tools. All of this is ignoring the fact that there are decent "name brand" versions available at big box stores for comparable money and with Lithium Ion batteries. Rye-o-bee, Porter Cable, and perhaps others are better tools for comparable money. Funny, when I spelled the "R" word correctly it was blocked as potentially profane.